Did I go too far?

[Noctis3880]

I bought a $60 power drill so that I could attach a buffing wheel to it and use it on my knives.

I didn't buy the regular buffing machines because I have no place to put that bulky thing.

Anyhoo, I have 3 buffing wheels, with each one smaller than the last. I also have a small variety of buffing compounds from Sears.

The setup is as follows:
-Large wheel = Green Rouge
-Medium wheel = Red Rouge
-Small wheel = Blue Rouge

The blue rouge advertised a high luster in such a way that I thought it to be a finer finish than Red, so I intended to use it last. But my observation leads me to believe that Red leaves a more "mirror" polish than blue, so I finish off with red.

I'm not 100% sure of the "grit" of the rouges, but so far I have it like this:
White > Green > Blue > Red

If I'm wrong, feel free to correct me.

I also like to finish off with a strop on leather, also with these compounds.

I'm wondering if this isn't too "excessive" for finishing my knives, as I'm also planning to use 200,000 mesh diamond spray and coat my blades with Ren-Wax(the Tuf Cloth coating scratches off too easily). You'd think I was detailing someone's car. I also have this fantasy of polishing my Endura until the entire blade looks like a mirror, just as soon as I get it back from Tom Krein for a Full Flat Grind...or will that snap the blade?

 

[Roger999]

I don't know if red and blue compound is hard enough to even scratch steel, I've only heard of people using white, green and black compound for sharpening. The white compound is said to be finer than the green.

 

[Noctis3880]

It's not exactly for sharpening, as typical stropping on the white compound is enough to make it split hairs. This is more for putting a mirror polish on the edge.

 

[nc527]

correct roger, the red and blue do put a high finish on, but not on steel. They are more suited with materials like gold and silver. I would not use a buffing wheel though dude, and you trying to use it will be hella hard. You can get a buffer from harbour freight for less then 50 bucks, and it wont take up anymore space then the dril. FYI, If I was you, I would take the drill and buff wheel back, buy the $30 harbor frieght belt grinder, go to lee valley tools, and buy a belt of 300 grit, 600 grit, 800 grit, 1000 grit, and 1200 grit. OR you could just buy the leather belt from lee valley, and use green and black compounds only.

 

[nc527]

noctis, white compound will not even get close to splitting hairs, much less shaving them.

 

[hiwa]

My guess is you'll burn out your $60 drill not very long from now, if you do buffing on a regular basis. The motor will get too hot from the work. My space is limited , too. I put a 1/3 H.P. motor on a piece of plywood,with rubber feet on the bottom. It takes up about as much room as a gallon pail. Even when I buff for just 20-30 minutes, the motor gets warm, but it's a very stable operation. I use only green (.5 micron) compound, and I get everything razor sharp. No need for anything else, IMO. NC527's suggestions are right on target ,too. I'm a huge LV fan ( I'm a Cabinetmaker). The 1 by 30 sander with different belts and my buffer take care of ALL my sharpening needs.

 

[Hard H2O]

noctis, white compound will not even get close to splitting hairs, much less shaving them.

I would disagree. I strop with the white and it will indeed refine from the Ultimate Finishing hone on the GATCO.

There are fellows who do not sharpen beyond a medium stone and are able to shave. Shaving is no trick.

 

[Bufford]

The drill will burn out, as its just not intended for that purpose. They are designed to run drill bits using vertical force and it's built for those types of forces. The buffing wheels are wide and excert a latteral force instead of a vertical force. This will probably wear out the bearings.

From a safety point, a buffer machine properly mounted and vented is much safer.

 

[Josh K]

noctis, white compound will not even get close to splitting hairs, much less shaving them.

Um... you're wrong. Nicest way to put it.

You are setting up a portable drill with buffing wheels? How are you keeping it stable enough to follow the edge.

Get a good (or cheap) 1/3Hp bench grinder and stick it under the kitchen sink when you're not using it. It takes up a small bit more space and is designed for that, not like the drill.